ActiveWin.com has posted about twenty hot screenshots of the newest Microsoft Longhorn build, #5048, that was released at the WinHEC 2005 conference in Seattle yesterday. The images we posted highlight search, security, GUI, file system, etc. Check them out!

The Desktop Window Manager / Avalon (or whatever it's called) is not enabled in this build.

I just read an article that said you can give Longhorn a UFIA by setting a registry key that will enable it, but it's unstable at this point. It only supports a limited set of hardware as they develop it. But once enabled and with the supported hardware, it will do all the squishy windows and fancy minimize/maximize animations, etc.

I can only think that this is not only obviously a work in progress (alpha at this point), but not the actual Longhorn UI bits. It's so unpolished, it appears more just for testing functionality than anything. I do wonder how much different the final UI will be, though....

This build is to show the technology in progress. It's misleading at best to show screenshots of a technology build in progress, because people think it's all about the screenshots, and not about the guts of the code.

Look, LH is so different in so many ways, but let's just point out for the folks that insist on continually taking the short bus to school that LH is more about what we/you can do in software that we/you could not do before.

"Real" hardware 3D acceleration and support for physics processors [Bones processors], unlock a completely different level of user interaction with applications data, and content of all types.

For the same group just gooey over Tabbed browsing [as if you can't download it this second for IE (read, lame)], picture the ability to look "inside" each page that would normally just be a lame looking tab and "know" by seeing exactly what page you are headed to - or merge documents of various opacity - same with non-linear data/data types. Run at "spot" to see how an app will behave "before" you commit it and then have to test - including how it will look, feel and interact with users and other data.

The list just goes on and on - so please, give it a real look and not just some cursory comparison with a UI that while interesting, isn't even the same thing - not even close.

Sorry to type with such an edge, but it is getting really silly - seeing such inventive work that has so much potential, reduced to such a pitiful comparison. I mean, think for a second what you can do with locational data alone? What about surveying, mineralogy, real estate, route planning, fleet operations, environmental law, land planning, what about signal tower serveyors for new wireless wi-max facilities....? LH and its tools fully support truly useful software and a far better and more immediate understanding so necessary for effective decision making. What about things so subtle - like determining a route that allows one the most intelligent way around a delivery route that "sustains high-ground" - e.g., a route that requires as little re-climbing of hills? Imagine how an understanding of terrain can support the use of less fuel...things as subtle, but also as sophisticated as this are what LH makes possible and in ways that allow one to create such solutions profitably [for providers/ISV's] and affordably [for businesses and people].

Given that we all have two eyes and native binocular and stereo optic vision...one would think that simply loking at well...any thing, we'd get it.

Ok - now let's get really wild...think in terms of adjectives...software needs adjectives - it needs Hot, Cold, Forest, Ocean, smooth...under LH software [in the hands of the right dev], can interact in this way. Add that value to business processes and one delivers more than data and information...one can deliver an understanding.

#17 "Why does MS need 'something big to kill the hype of competitors'??"
Because a large part of what Microsoft does is hype up everything and market it to death (and let's be honest here - there are very few companies that market as well as Microsoft do). If you want proof of this look no further than Longhorn - the OS is still in alpha yet look as how many articles have been written about it (claiming how it will do everything for you) in the past 2 weeks (i.e. not just because of WinHEC but also due to Tiger's release and the usual MS drum roll 18 months before a product has any chance of seeing the light). Honestly, with all the attention you'd think that it would be ready in the next 3 months!

And so as a result you have people judging it based on what they can see - it's a little hard to judge it on what it may or may not be able to do in 18 months time depending on what Microsoft decide to add or remove between now and then. And there is nothing wrong with that, you should be able to judge it on what it can do today... because that's all it can do! What it may be able to do in 2 years time in irrelevant for the time being, especially when comparing it to other OS that are available now. On the other hand you have people like lketchum, daz etc who are more than happy to compare something that is available today with something that will hopefully be out in 18 months time and that's fine too, you just have to understand where people are coming from.

#19, You misunderstand my points somewhat....developers are building software for LH now - so it will be ready and able to use teh platform's components like Avalon...just as considerable energy and development for the next OS after LH started years ago.

Plans are built, and the design process begins. That process is cyclic and desired.

The fact is, we should be discussing the next generation of applications and what they mean and now more than ever, they need a platform that makes best use of tools, and the environments the SW will run in/on.

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